Photo: Robert Markowitz / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Naoko Yamazaki is an astronaut, engineer and visiting professor, born on December 27, 1970 in Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of 2026, Naoko Yamazaki is 55 years old. Schooling on record includes Ochanomizu Women's University High School and University of Tokyo. Listed accolades include Young Global Leaders (2011).
My Take
Naoko Yamazaki is often introduced with a single line: the second Japanese woman to reach space, after Chiaki Mukai. That framing is accurate, but I think it undersells her. Born in Matsudo, Chiba, in 1970 and trained as an engineer at the University of Tokyo, she spent years inside the machinery of spaceflight before she ever left the ground. Astronaut careers are mostly waiting — training, requalifying, watching launch schedules slip — and the ability to stay sharp through that stretch strikes me as the rarer talent, harder than any single mission. What I find most interesting is what she has done since. Rather than treating the flight as a finish line, she moved into teaching and board work, becoming a translator between the space program and the people who fund and imagine it. Space agencies are full of brilliant engineers who cannot explain why any of it matters. She can, and she has the credibility that comes from having actually been up there.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Naoko Yamazaki
- Name (Japanese)
- 山崎直子
- Reading
- やまざき なおこ
- Born
- December 27, 1970 (age 55)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Dog
- Origin
- Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
- Occupation
- astronaut / engineer / visiting professor / director
2. Background
- High school
- Ochanomizu Women's University High School
- University
- University of Tokyo
Awards & achievements
- 2011 Young Global Leaders
3. Links
- Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/astro_naoko/
- Xhttps://x.com/astro_naoko
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naoko%20Yamazaki
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B1%B1%E5%B4%8E%E7%9B%B4%E5%AD%90%20(%E5%AE%87%E5%AE%99%E9%A3%9B%E8%A1%8C%E5%A3%AB)
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q232692
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-08-07
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Naoko Yamazaki born?
Born December 27, 1970 (age 55).
Where is Naoko Yamazaki from?
Naoko Yamazaki is from Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
What does Naoko Yamazaki do?
Naoko Yamazaki works as astronaut, engineer, visiting professor, director.
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